ATF 4 Where?

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Jan 18, 2004 | 10:51 PM

#31

deje

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Joined: Jul 2002

Posts: 78

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From: snohomish washington

If you call the ph # on the bottle of atf prior to putting it in the vehicle, Redline WILL let you know if it meets specs period. I beleive but i dont remember forsure that the redline is called atf-c+. Im off until wed. when i go back to work i will look at the bottle and speak with my oil rep and post the facts. As a master certified tech i will let you in on the following .When you take your truck in for service You NEVER get the fluid in a bottle that says mopar or dodge on it unless its in for warranty repairs.ALL fluid comes to the dealer in bulk in a majic 55 gallon drum via the local oil distributer . In my last post i metioned that some of the local dealers use redline .According to the rep they buy it from him .And use it When a customer requests synthetic fluid.But if there is any doubt about another brands fluid, Always consult the company who makes the product before using it and you wont have any issues.Aftermarket companys survive only by making products that meet specs and dont ruin trannys and etc

Aug 24, 2004 | 04:23 PM

#32

sloppy

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I own a couple of quick lubes We do a ton of transmission fluid exchanges. DC dealers are usually the only ones that do ATF+4 trans fluid exchanges. Most garages don't like to carry several transmission fluids for inventory reasons. We looked at several universal fluids to see what was going to give us the best backing and what was best for our customers. The 2 products that were considered were Lubeguard modifier and Valvoline Maxlife ATF. Maxlife ATF was approved and backed by "Valvoline" for use in highly friction modified transmissions requiring ATF+4, Mercon V and a few other cats and dogs. Amsoil, BG, Lubeguard and others back their products as well. We went with Maxlife due to the volume of cars that are serviced with this product and by having a large company test and back the product. Chrysler nor Ford recommend this product nor due they recommend any universal fluids but I felt that if we have a problem (which we never had) Valvoline would give us the most backing. The problem that we felt could come up is the old question "who is at fault?" If the transmission goes bad, an oil analysys is needed and it could run into pointing fingers at the other company. I wasn't comfortable with the little guys like Amsoil, BG, Lubeguard and others to back up a transmission. The other issue is that if they have a bad lot of fluid distributd then they might file bankruptcy instead of paying up. I feel confortable enough with Maxlife to use it in my trucks and cars. That is just my 2 cents worth.

Aug 24, 2004 | 11:19 PM

#33

J BODY

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Joined: Nov 2003

Posts: 3,654

Likes: 2

Quote:

Originally posted by sloppy
I own a couple of quick lubes We do a ton of transmission fluid exchanges. DC dealers are usually the only ones that do ATF+4 trans fluid exchanges. Most garages don't like to carry several transmission fluids for inventory reasons.

That statement says tons for the aftermarket service industry. I've made a copy of it for work. I don't suppose you carry Fleetguard, Cummins, or Mopar filters for those with CTD's that are coming in for their oil change do you?

Aug 25, 2004 | 08:00 PM

#34

Rabbit

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Joined: Feb 2004

Posts: 80

Likes: 0

From: Michigan

Well i was just at Murrays auto parts (Kinda like a pep boys) this morning and they had Mopar ATF +4 there. It was in the actual Mopar brand name bottle. It was around 5 bucks a quart

Aug 25, 2004 | 08:30 PM

#35

sloppy

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J Body:

We carry Purolater for Cummins engines.

Sep 19, 2005 | 08:56 AM

#36

jerky1280

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Joined: Apr 2005

Posts: 132

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From: Milton, FL

Quote:

Originally Posted by smiller

>It Looks like amsoil does meet chrysler aft+4

No, it looks like Amsoil (and no one else) says it does... and for the purposes of defending a warranty claim it doesn't matter one whit what Amsoil says. Did you read any of the previous posts?

I agree. Just because Amsoil says it meets the performance specifications doesn't mean that it is approved by Chrysler. I think that since I have the warrentee from when I bought my truck (even if it is a short one), I'm going with the Chrysler ATF+4. Even if you could win in a court battle, I think the $7.20/quart my dealership wants would be cheaper than the $100/hour a laywer would charge.

Sep 19, 2005 | 10:20 AM

#37

Marine

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Joined: Aug 2001

Posts: 2,058

Likes: 6

From: Canuckistan

Here is the letter from valvoline:

THOMAS R. SMITH
Technical Director, Valvoline Brand
Phone: (859) 357-2766
Fax: (859) 357-7610
e-mail: trsmith@ashland.com
August 14, 2003
To Whom It May Concern:
Valvoline has received several inquiries regarding the topic of MaxLife‘ ATF and its use in various vehicles
beyond those requiring Dexron III or Mercon approved products. In response to these questions Valvoline has
issued the following statements:
• Valvoline supports the use of MaxLife ATF in a broad range of transmissions beyond those requiring
Dexron III and Mercon fluids including those where the following fluids are recommended:
o GM Dexron II
o Ford Mercon V
o Allison C4
o Chrysler ATF+3“ or ATF+4“ fluids
o Toyota (and Lexus) Type T, T-III or T-IV fluids
o Mitsubishi Diamond SP-II or SP-III fluids
o Hyundai
o Honda ATF-Z1 fluid (except in CVTs)
o BMW LT71141 or LA2634 fluids
o Nissan J-Matic Fluid
• Valvoline has conducted in-house testing to support MaxLife ATF performance in these transmissions.
However, it is important to note that these vehicle manufacturers have neither evaluated nor approved
MaxLife ATF.
• Valvoline stands behind all of its products, including MaxLife ATF. Use of MaxLife ATF in transmissions
where recommended by Valvoline WILL NOT void the vehicle’s warranty. In the unlikely event that any
transmission was to be damaged as a result of the use of MaxLife ATF, please contact Valvoline at 1-800-
Team-VAL.
While MaxLife ATF is designed to meet the special needs of higher mileage transmissions, new transmissions can
also benefit from its enhanced oxidation protection and anti-shudder protection and many consumers have chosen to
take advantage of this level of performance.
Please note that we have not done extensive testing on the new 5 and 6 speed transmissions that are now being
introduced. We would recommend contacting your Valvoline representative before using MaxLife in these
applications.
Valvoline does not recommend MaxLife ATF for use in continuously variable transmissions (CVT’s) or in
automatic transmissions where Ford Type F is recommended.
Sincerely,
Thom Smith
Technical Director
Valvoline Brand

I have this letter in PDF format for those of you that want it. Just PM me, and leave your email.